Small Things Considered

A blog for sharing appreciation of the width and depth of microbes and microbial activities on this planet.

Small Things Considered
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe

Evolution of Ant-Fungus Farming

by Mechas — Agriculture has triggered enormous changes in human society. But it is not unique to humans. Read more →

Posted on May 05, 2025 at 01:30 AM in Ecology, Evolution, Fungi, Symbioses | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Fungus that Reduces Methane Emissions

Noteworthy — We face unprecedented rising global temperatures, a crisis driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels. But other sectors, like the livestock industry, also contribute by producing large amounts of greenhouse gases. Read more →

Posted on March 20, 2025 at 02:30 AM in Ecology, Fungi, Noteworthy | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fungus Helps Carnivorous Plant Digest Prey

by Kevin Blake — It is well-established that microorganisms help vertebrates digest food, such as the bacteria in our gut breaking down complex carbohydrates. But do carnivorous plants engage in similar digestive collaborations? Read more →

Posted on September 23, 2024 at 01:30 AM in Fungi, Symbioses | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kool & The Gang − Celebration

by Christoph — Other than the title Kool & The Gang − Cele­bra­tion sug­gests, this post is not about the R&B band of past glories and their big­gest hit, but in­stead ce­le­brates the true "cool kids", mush­rooms − bio­lo­gi­cal­ly cor­rect fun­gi − and their "hy­po­ther­mic nature", stu­died by Cor­de­ro et al. (2023). Read more →

Posted on November 27, 2023 at 01:30 AM in Fungi | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mycorrhizae and Land Plants – An Update

by Roberto — I am fortunate that among the first impressions of my day, I take in this view of land plants. Given my proclivity for microbiology my mind inevitably wonders to what I cannot see, the underground network of filamentous fungi connecting the roots of those plants, the mycorrhizae. Read more →

Posted on May 11, 2023 at 01:30 AM in Evolution, Fungi, Symbioses | Permalink | Comments (0)

On the end of a leash

by Vivienne Baillie Gerritsen — It has been a long time since I saw a plug hanging from the side of a bathtub. Remember the small triangular ring the chain dangled from, and the actual plug at the other end – usually a piece of black and slimy rubber that fitted perfectly into the plug hole. As a child, the perfection of the fit used to fascinate me and... Read more →

Posted on March 27, 2023 at 01:30 AM in Fungi | Permalink | Comments (0)

Putrescence and Poetry

by Corrado Nai — Flickering stars filigree the cosmic void. A green, incandescent planet bursts on the screen. We didn't know we were watching a science fiction movie. Drumrolls climax into the next frame. Suddenly, fiction is stripped away, and in a heartbeat we are thrown into the heart of science and culture. We are not staring at the infinitely large but observing the minuscule at work. Read more →

Posted on March 13, 2023 at 01:30 AM in Fungi | Permalink | Comments (0)

How to Be a Lichen

by Nastassja Noell — Lichens are symbiotic or­gan­isms – al­gae, fun­gi, cy­ano­bac­te­ria, bac­te­ria and yeasts – that form mi­nia­ture eco­sys­tems that you can hold in the palm of your hand. They live on trees and rocks through­out the South­ern Ap­pa­lach­ians, and are also found in the Arc­tic, the An­tarc­tic, rain­forests, al­pine tun­dra and es­pe­cial­ly in the de­sert. Read more →

Posted on June 05, 2022 at 05:10 PM in Fungi, Symbioses | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lives of Fungi

by Elio — In the beginning of this gorgeous and intellectually fulfilling book, Britt tells us that, due to modern technology, fungi are now known to be "more ubiquitous than we thought" and are "much more important to the environment and, by extension, to ourselves." He proceeds to justify these statements... Read more →

Posted on April 28, 2022 at 01:00 AM in Book Reviews, Fungi | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Ugliest of Mushrooms

by Elio — If beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, then, faith and begorra as the Irishmen may say, so does ugliness. It is widely stated in the mycophile literature that the ugliest of mushrooms is one called Pisolithus arhizus (once tinctorius, for reasons I'll explain soon)... Read more →

Posted on March 14, 2022 at 01:00 AM in Ecology, Fungi | Permalink | Comments (0)

Next »
STC Logo
    Small Things Considered Links  
    About  
    Contact  
    Subscribe  
    FAQ  
    Archives  
    Elio's Memoirs  
    In Memoriam  
    Our Books etc.  


    Social Media Links  
    Instagram  
    Mastodon 
    Bluesky 


    ASM Links  
    American Society for Microbiology  
    About ASM  
    ASM Publications  
    Join ASM  
    This Week in Microbiology (TWiM)


    ©2023 Small Things Considered   Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and State Disclosures